Pages

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Disclosure: I received a free box from Green Kid Crafts to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% my own and honest.
Grace loves doing structured activities but I struggle daily to find projects that are age appropriate for her that we actually have the supplies for. I love spending time doing special projects with her, but it can hard to pull everything together and that's why I love the subscription boxes from Green Kid Crafts! Each month, Green Kid Crafts delights over ten thousand kids across North America with fun, creative and eco-friendly craft and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities.

Founded by a mom, Penny Bauder, Green Kid Crafts provides a Discovery Box each month that contains 3-4 activities to help inspire a child's creativity. Aimed at children ages 3-10, these boxes are created by teachers, crafty moms and STEM experts. All of Green Kid Crafts boxes are eco-friendly and are made using only safe, sustainable materials. Green Kids Crafts is certified carbon neutral, Green America Approved, and a member of 1% for the Planet. All boxes are kid tested and expert approved to ensure that your kids will love them!

Our box contained 3 projects: A fizzing lava lamp, a magnet friend, and slime monsters. Each activity was packed in a small bag making it easy to do just one project at a time. Each bag contains all of the materials needed for the projects except water and has step by step instructions with photos on how to complete the activity.

We started with the lava lamp. We added water and the included sequins to create our lamp. While Grace added the sequins, I explained the basics of density in regards to the oil and water separating. She honestly didn't seem too interested in my explanation, she just wanted to see what happened when we put the color tablet in. She happily watched the tablet create bubbles and turn the water blue. She had fun shaking it over and over again and watching the liquids separate each time. This activity was fun for her but I think the density lesson went over her head. I will keep this project in mind for when she gets a little older!

Next we moved on to the magnet friend. This activity features a magnet, multiple colors of pipe cleaners, and some googly eyes to make a face for the magnet friend. This required no directions from me, she got the point right away! We made a face for her magnet and she immediately began putting hair on it and testing how far she could put the magnet away from the pipe cleaners and still attract them. She made big piles of the pipe cleaners and dunked the magnet in for a "full head of hair look" and then did each piece by hand. We played with this for about 20 minutes and she loves it. It's a great activity that can be stored for future play.

Finally, we worked on our slime monsters. This was the most involved activity and she was a little bored as I prepped everything. I let her stir the colors into the glue and I added the borax mixture so that she could create her slime. It was a huge hit and she kept holding it up showing me how slimy it was. She loved using the pom poms and eyes to decorate them and proudly showed Mike her creations when he got home.

Overall we really enjoyed this box from Green Kid Crafts. Grace is on the young end of the age range for these boxes but she enjoyed the crafts and activities. This is a great way to expose your children to STEM concepts while still having fun!

Green Kid Crafts subscriptions are available to purchase in month-to-month, 3, 6 and 12 month durations and make great gifts! Subscriptions start at $16.95 / month, and it is easy to add on a sibling subscription so no one is left out. They also feature Discovery Boxes, Creativity Kits, Science Kits, and Birthday Party activities and favors. Right now, you can order special limited edition holiday boxes and stocking stuffers perfect for the kids on your holiday shopping list! Order now at www.greenkidcrafts.com.

Follow Green Kid Crafts on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to learn more about this great company. They are actually one of the top 100 Pinterest accounts in the world so be sure to check them out for great kids content.